


A Night To Relax

by AshesToStars



Category: Samurai Jack (Cartoon)
Genre: AKA Ashi is introduced to the concept of monogamy and she isn't into it, F/F, M/M, Multi, and then jack realizes he isnt either, this is also called jack and ashi are both great wingmen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 03:42:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10823022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshesToStars/pseuds/AshesToStars
Summary: A night of relaxation is rare for someone like Jack, but after a reuniting with a friend (and said friend's army of daughters), there's a moment to sit back in what would likely be the final time of peace before a final attack against Aku.(set after episode 7 of season 5, and follows no canon after that.)





	A Night To Relax

It had been a very, very long time since Jack had a moment to truly rest his feet. Even in the times that he sat by fires or slept, the relaxation was never full and he was always fighting something more that lived inside of his head. He was far from being completely un-troubled, but ever since his psychological journey to earn his sword back, he's found it far easier to get through each day and night. Ashi had helped substantially as well. The once ignorant and violent woman had become a good companion and amazing friend. Of course, the person that made Jack the most at ease this evening...was the scotsman. Granted, it had been very difficult for Jack to escape the emotional response to the fact that his friend was -in all technicality- dead. But having him here, and able to speak and spout his lovable nonsense, was more than comforting to a man that's lost too much already. Seeing him had been quite the reuniting...the man had been loud, reacting in a way that quite startled the much quieter man. But it did not matter...Jack had been ecstatic anyway. Seeing an old friend was what he needed...

And then of course, the Scotsman's daughters. Jack could not help but be...impressed, by the amount that there were. He had made the unfortunate mistake of asking where the Scotsman's wife was...  
It sparked tears...loud, exaggerated tears. One of the many daughters reminded their father that he was a ghost and could visit her whenever he'd like, but he responded by saying he was crying because 'now nobody will get to see her beauty like i do'. Well, actually he had said 'ab'dy is missin' out on me wifie's braw bonnie beaut!'...but Jack had understood vaguely what that had meant. Scottish dialect would always be quite difficult for him...though he imagined it was far more difficult for Ashi. She had stared at them all as if they were merely screeching instead of speaking at first.

Since then, they'd been spending a lot of time together. The preparations for what Jack was determined to make his final attack against Aku was taking quite a long time. Jack and the Scotsman had plenty of time to catch up, and plenty more time to involve themselves in pointless competition. Who can find the most food to hunt for dinner? Who can tell a better dad joke? Who this, who that? It was refreshing, to return to silly youthful ways...

And then there was Ashi...she'd been spending a lot of time with one of the Scotsman's daughters. Flora, Jack believed it was. The two spoke a lot, and every once in a while would compete in friendly battle with each other. It was endearing to watch them this way. Ashi seemed to have grown rather fond of being around the ginger woman.

As if on the perfect timing that Jack had been thinking about her, Ashi walked out from behind a tree where she had been admiring the view of the sky. She walked over to Jack, silently sitting beside him and hugging her knees close to her chest. There was a moment of peaceful silence between them...

"...I really enjoy Flora's company."

Ashi stated plainly, looking down and not making any eye contact with Jack. He looked over curiously, and did not speak for a moment, observing the woman's body language. A soft grin came onto his face as he noticed the gently red discoloration dusted on her pale cheeks. 

"Oh?" He replied simply, though there was a bit of mischief in his tone. He had a feeling that he understood exactly what Ashi was feeling. She looked up at him, looking a bit troubled and concerned.

"There's something different, I mean. About...about how I feel around her. You're my...friend, and when I'm around YOU it feels totally different than how I feel around her." Ashi clarified further, her eyes fixated on the ground beneath her feet. "Something's just different."

"Well, how does she make you feel, exactly?" Jack asked, prying further for understanding.

"Like the world is happier than it really is. Like I'll be ok, but like... Forever." She replied, smiling slightly before she turned away. "That sounds ridiculous..."

"No, it doesn't, Ashi. I understand what's going on here." Jack quickly replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You have feelings for Flora-" he paused, realizing she wouldn't quite understand what he was saying. "Romantic feelings for her. You wish to involve yourself in a relationship with her. I say you should go for that."

"...Oh." Ashi flushed gently, putting her head on her knees and smiling again. The girl's eyes drifted towards the sky and she looked at the stars. They were always the most beautiful part of the world she lived in to her, but now the light they gave seemed so dull compared to Flora. It was a strange feeling, one of utter foreign nature to her. Her heart felt so tired from beating so fast. "How do you know?"

That caught the samurai offguard. "...P-Pardon?"

"If you know what the feeling is like, you must have felt it before. Who for?" Ashi could not help but find Jack's sudden change in body language amusing. Now he was the one shifting his gaze and finding his cheeks heating up. He faltered for a moment, before speaking;

"There's... Been a few... Men and women that have caught my interest. Most were short-lived, but there's one that I still find..." He cleared his throat and looked towards the dirt. "... That I still find in my mind and heart." He stopped there, seeming to relax with the relief of answering the question. Ashi, however, merely kept a soft interest glinting in her expression. After the silence continued, she reached over and poked him in the side. He let out a confused sound and met her gaze.

"Well? Who? Who is it?" Ashi pestered, grinning. Jack seemed a bit irritated briefly, but it was only due to his embarrassment. He let his eyes drift to where the others were speaking and causing a bit of a ruckus. His eyes set on the Scotsman, and something in the way he acted shifted again completely. He looked so... Happy. "Ohhh..."

"What??" Jack quickly snapped his eyes back to her. 

"It's the Scotsman! You wish for a romantic relationship with the Scotsman!"

"Hush-shhh!!! Keep your voice down...!" Jack whispered, face going redder than it was before. "...Yes, I've got... Well... I've developed feelings for him." He admitted, the confession almost more to himself than to Ashi. She perked up beside him.

"Why not tell him? You tell him, I'll tell Flora."

"The Scotsman is different. Hes married, Ashi." He seemed dejected when he spoke.

"So?" 

"...Ashi, when you marry, you are swearing yourself to one person and one person alone." Jack explained.

"...Why?" Ashi continued, her head tilting to one side. "That seems like a stupid rule. Surely one person can feel that way for multiple people. You said yourself, that multiple people have caught your interest in the past. So why limit yourself that way?"

"Well, because..." He hesitated. A moment passed and he just looked confused now. "...I... I'm not sure."

"Perhaps The Scotsman will not think it's that way either. Maybe his wife is ok with that?" Ashi suggested. "We are going to know each other only a short time now, Jack. You know that. You have to tell him! If you don't, you will regret it."

Jack was quiet, pondering what had been said for far too long. It was very interesting that somebody who was very new to these kinds of things could push Jack to reconsidering all he was taught about romance. Why was it that they were confined to a single partner? It didn't seem fair. Perhaps it was alright if multiple people decided romance was something they all could share. After all, the human brain and heart have both proven again and again to want interesting or unheard of things. The idea of seeing the Scotsman with his wife and still being able to pursue more...er... Romantic gestures with him. He found himself dwelling on the thought of doing those sorts of sweet things with him. And of course there was always the question of how intimacy must work with multiple-  
Oh dear. No, those were not the kinds of things he needed to be thinking about. Besides, The Scotsman was a ghost, anyway.

Finally, after such a long time of not responding, Jack looked back over at Ashi.

"I will tell him."

"Really?" Ashi seemed oddly excited for him. Or perhaps her excitement stemmed from the fact that this meant she'd be confessing to Flora, too. Just as she spoke, she noticed Jack was staring at The Scotsman again. His expression was a mix of a soft anticipation and a not-so-soft anxiety over what he just agreed to do. As if on cue, the man looked over and noticed Jack's gaze on him, he let out a hardy chuckle and waved at him. Jack's heart skipped a beat and his face went red again, though he managed a polite grin and waved back. As soon as the Scotsman went back to talking, Jack swiftly looked away. Ashi watched the whole thing with an amused smile. "...I did not know you could behave that way."

"Behave what way? I'm not behaving in any manner! I'm acting the same." Jack replied quickly, attempting frantically to stop himself from being so obviously lovestruck still. Ashi merely giggled, finding this new side to the samurai exceedingly humorous. 

"I behave strangely around Flora, too. I find that I can't speak as well as I can normally, and sometimes I become clumsy. I tripped over my own feet today when we spoke, and she reached down and grabbed my arm to help me. When she touched my arm, I got...weird. I just kept staring and stuttering and I probably looked like a fool..." Ashi told him softly, seeming a bit flustered but mostly she was laughing at the situation. "It is good that we can still...experience these things despite everything that's happening."

"...Mm, I agree." Jack said quietly.

"Looking at beautiful things will always be-"

"No, I mean I agree that you likely looked like a fool." Jack joked teasingly, busting into gentle chuckles. Ashi let out a loud snort and gave him a friendly punch in the arm and laughed with him. The two were still giggling when they noticed somebody was walking towards them. Jack recognized Flora as Ashi was still paying attention to her laughter. He found himself anticipating seeing Ashi's behavior around the woman she was so head over heels for.

"Awright, ashi! Tis a bonny night, aye? How come ye two'a ower 'ere a' by yourselves?" Flora's voice shocked Ashi as she snapped her head up and her cheeks flushed a gentle pink color. She stammered awkwardly, before she smiled at her.

"It's a bit loud over there, is all." Ashi explained, trying to keep herself relaxed.

"Mind if I join ye?" 

"N-No, go ahead." 

With that, the red-haired woman sat next to Ashi with a big smile. Ashi was immediately red-faced, though she kept quiet and easy-going. 

"S'been awfy crakin' havin' ye around, Ashi. Ye'r pure funny when ye want tae be! 'N' ye kick bahookie pure well!" She laughed as she spoke, wrapping a large, muscled arm around Ashi and pulling her a bit closer in a friendly gesture. "'N' I respect yer love o' stars! Awfy braw things, they are... mak' me feel a lot tinier than I am!"

"...Yes...stars can make me feel that way too. There are so many...I love them all...especially the ones that make patterns!" Ashi responded, her voice picking up a bit with joy. She yawned, and gently rested her head on Flora's shoulder, leaning her weight against the stronger woman with a tired smile.

Jack smiled, and stood up. 

"Have a good night, you two."

He politely told them, before looking over at The Scotsman. He made his way to him. After all, they had a few things to talk about.


End file.
